#Bridgeport, CT – Nov. 15, 2013 – City vice officers in cooperation with state and federal authorities arrested three people Thursday after breaking up a sex trafficking operation in the city.
The operation centered in the Hollow neighborhood and involved the rotation of women, mainly of Mexican descent, between New York and Bridgeport to work as prostitutes. The investigation remains active in New York and Massachusetts.
“This truly is a sad case,” said Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett Jr. “These arrests resulted from outstanding cooperation and coordination between a number of agencies – local, state and federal.  The FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement all played key roles in the investigation.”
The investigation began more than a year ago when Bridgeport Police developed information that that a group of Mexican nationals were promoting prostitution in the Hollow section of the city. It was believed that the group was part of a larger multi-state ring that trafficked women. The ring is believed to have ties to organized crime in Mexico.
Working closely with the FBI, Bridgeport Sgt. John Andrews, Detective William Reilly and Officer Orlando Rosada were able develop information that the prostitution ring did indeed exist.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities sent in a confidential informant to pose as a customer. On one occasion, a female in the second-floor apartment told the CI that the “girls are downstairs.” Downstairs, the CI was shown several girls and quoted a price for sex. On a second occasion, the CI also was quoted a price but stated he felt uncomfortable having sex there because there were children in the residence.
He was handed a business card and told, “I will drive the girls to you. Just call me.”
On another occasion, one of the suspects was pulled over for a motor vehicle violation and police recovered several notebooks that included addresses from throughout Bridgeport. Police recovered more when they raided the apartments Thursday. The records are believed to ledgers of customers.
Investigators subsequently confirmed that the women were rotated in and out of the house and new woman arriving by train or were picked up from New York about once a week and sometimes more frequently. While in Bridgeport, the women were not permitted to leave the house.
On Thursday, authorities executed three search and seizure warrants at two houses at 246 Lexington Ave. and 204-206 Olive St. and arrested three men. Emiliano Alameda-Cabrera, 36, and brothers Dardo Reyes, 29, and Patricio Reyes, 33, were charged with prostitution-related charges and held on $1 million bond each.
Five children were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families. Police located two suspected prostitutes. They are being provided services by the International Institute of Connecticut.

Bill Kaempffer
Public Safety Spokesman
Bridgeport Police Department
Bridgeport Fire Department